Jesus Creed

Emerging in Austin TX

We had a conference call the other day about the emerging event in Austin Texas scheduled for October 19 and 20. This will be a highlight event I think. We hear that the registrations are climbing rapidly and some special discussions are planned.Emerging Event in Austin Texas.
First, we will have en evening devoted to a conversation about what emerging leaders believe — theologically. We’ll be talking about their views of Scripture and the atonement, to name but two significant topics.
In addition, Dan Kimball will be making a special presentation about not only about his book,They Like Jesus but Not the Church.
After this special Saturday morning event, we will be discussing the impact of the emerging movement on culture and the Church. I hope you can schedule this event. (Now of course there could be some competition if the Cubs are in the World Series.)

I wish I could make it, but the date changed didn’t work for me… I think my dad is still going and giving my registration to a friend. This could be interesting for him to really engage with emergent stuff. Either it will confirm all his worst fears or it will at least help open up the conversation.

Gateway has some former Willow Creekers in their leadership team – that probably lends something to the seeker style.
What Gateway does extremely well is relate to Austin’s emerging culture. I don’t think any church out there would try to be an emerging type of church unless there was an emerging type of culture in their community.
The local church has to be indigenous to its community. There are churches like Gateway and there are cowboy churches on Sunday night for ropers and ranchers – both indigenous to their community.

Gateway is more the seeker-type church of the Willow variety. I have a few friends who go there. They are quite successful at attracting seekers, and I’m sure have been responsible for those seekers conversions. But, if I were to classify them according to the Hirsch/Frost categories of attractional vs incarnational I’d say they’re the former. They are trying to do something things outside the proverbial box, but the box they’re working out of is already pretty dated in my opinion.
The Austin American Statesman did a whole spread on the emerging church in Austin a few weeks ago. Gateway wasn’t mentioned which I felt was right.
I’m excited about the conference! I’m trying to get 10 people to register together with me so we can get the discount!!

Correction to my previous comment. Gateway was mentioned in the article. It just wasn’t featured as one of a handful of emerging churches the newspaper covered. Here’s what it said about Gateway:
Meanwhile, other Christians had the same goal but decided that the best way to connect with unchurched young people was to bring a more conventional Christian message to new settings such as coffee shops and warehouses. Gateway Church in North Austin, for example, was founded in 1998 as a community open to punk rockers, drug addicts and others who wouldn’t fit the typical churchgoing image. The message: Everyone was welcome, whatever his or her background.
Gateway pastor John Burke wrote a book, “No Perfect People Allowed,” that has resonated with many ministers seeking to reach people who wouldn’t normally set foot in a church.
Though Burke’s writings deal with Emergent Church themes — his church is hosting a conference on the subject this fall — he says he isn’t casting doubt on basic Christian doctrine the way some emerging Christians do. The church, he said, must tend to what’s broken by opening its arms to sexual abuse victims, drug addicts, homosexuals and nonbelievers, giving them a place to ask hard questions about faith and helping them heal.

I’ll echo April’s comments. There are a number of more “emerging” sorts of churches in the area, but Gateway certainly reaches out to those who are frequently shunned in Christian circles. I have some friends who have visited it. Who knows? Perhaps one day we’ll end up there.
I’m looking forward to the conference.

Thanks Scot and thanks for everyone else who commented. From what I has heard y’all assesment seems pretty right on. I’m not making any value judgments on Gateway at all I was just wondering how they would be classified.
Scot I really want to be there, and I’m really going to try. It looks neat.
Blessings,
Bryan L

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Scot McKnight is a widely-recognized authority on the New Testament, early Christianity, and the historical Jesus. He is the Karl A. Olsson Professor in Religious Studies at North Park University (Chicago, Illinois). A popular and witty speaker, Dr. McKnight has given interviews on radios across the nation, has appeared on television, and is regularly asked to speak in local churches and educational events throughout the USA and in Denmark and South Africa. Dr. McKnight obtained his Ph.D. at the University of Nottingham (1986).

Scot McKnight is a member of the Society of Biblical Literature and the Society for New Testament Studies. He is the author of more than thirty books, including the award-winning The Jesus Creed: Loving God, Loving Others (Paraclete, 2004), which won the Christianity Today book of the year for Christian Living. Recent books include Embracing Grace: A Gospel for All of Us (Paraclete, 2005), The Story of the Christ (Baker, 2006), Praying with the Church (Paraclete, 2006), and The Real Mary: Why Evangelical Christians Can Embrace the Mother of Jesus (Paraclete, 2007). A recent book, A Community called Atonement (Abingdon, 2007), has been nominated for the Grawameyer Award. He broadened his Jesus Creed project in writing a daily devotional: 40 Days Living the Jesus Creed (Paraclete, 2008). His studies in conversion were expanded with his newest book, Finding Faith, Losing Faith (Baylor, 2008), a book he co-authored with his former student Hauna Ondrey. His most recent books are The Blue Parakeet: Rethinking How You Read the Bible (Zondervan, 2008) and Fasting (Thomas Nelson, 2009).

Forthcoming books include a commentary on James (Eerdmans, 2010). He is presently researching “gospel” in the earliest Christian communities.

Other books include Who Do My Opponents Say I am? (co-edited with Joseph Modica), Jesus and His Death (Baylor, 2005), A Light among the Gentiles (Fortress, 1992), A New Vision for Israel (Eerdmans, 1999), Turning to Jesus (Westminster John Knox, 2002), Galatians (Zondervan, 1993) and 1 Peter (Zondervan, 1996), Interpreting the Synoptic Gospels (Baker, 1988), and he is a co-editor with J.B. Green and I.H. Marshall of the award-winning The Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels (IVP, 1992) as well as the co-editor, with J.D.G. Dunn, of The Historical Jesus in Current Study (Eisenbraun’s, 2005). He regularly contributes chapter length studies to dictionaries, encyclopedias, books and articles for magazines and online webzines. McKnight’s books have been translated into Chinese, Korean, Russian, and Portuguese.

McKnight’s award-winning blog, Jesus Creed, has been rated by Technorati.com as the #1 site for Emerging Church and continues to increase in readership.

Scot McKnight was elected into the Hall of Honor at Cornerstone University in honor of his basketball accomplishments during his college career. He and his wife, Kristen, live in Libertyville, Illinois. They enjoy traveling, long walks, gardening, and cooking. They have two adult children, Laura (married to Mark Barringer) and Lukas (married to Annika Nelson), and one grandchild: Aksel Donovan Nelson McKnight.

Scot McKnight is a widely-recognized authority on the New Testament, early Christianity, and the historical Jesus. He is the Karl A. Olsson Professor in Religious Studies at North Park University (Chicago, Illinois). A popular and witty speaker, Dr. McKnight has given interviews on radios across the nation, has appeared on television, and is regularly asked to speak in local churches and educational events throughout the USA and in Denmark and South Africa. Dr. McKnight obtained his Ph.D. at the University of Nottingham (1986).

Scot McKnight is a member of the Society of Biblical Literature and the Society for New Testament Studies. He is the author of more than thirty books, including the award-winning The Jesus Creed: Loving God, Loving Others (Paraclete, 2004), which won the Christianity Today book of the year for Christian Living. Recent books include Embracing Grace: A Gospel for All of Us (Paraclete, 2005), The Story of the Christ (Baker, 2006), Praying with the Church (Paraclete, 2006), and The Real Mary: Why Evangelical Christians Can Embrace the Mother of Jesus (Paraclete, 2007). A recent book, A Community called Atonement (Abingdon, 2007), has been nominated for the Grawameyer Award. He broadened his Jesus Creed project in writing a daily devotional: 40 Days Living the Jesus Creed (Paraclete, 2008). His studies in conversion were expanded with his newest book, Finding Faith, Losing Faith (Baylor, 2008), a book he co-authored with his former student Hauna Ondrey. His most recent books are The Blue Parakeet: Rethinking How You Read the Bible (Zondervan, 2008) and Fasting (Thomas Nelson, 2009).

Forthcoming books include a commentary on James (Eerdmans, 2010). He is presently researching “gospel” in the earliest Christian communities.

Other books include Who Do My Opponents Say I am? (co-edited with Joseph Modica), Jesus and His Death (Baylor, 2005), A Light among the Gentiles (Fortress, 1992), A New Vision for Israel (Eerdmans, 1999), Turning to Jesus (Westminster John Knox, 2002), Galatians (Zondervan, 1993) and 1 Peter (Zondervan, 1996), Interpreting the Synoptic Gospels (Baker, 1988), and he is a co-editor with J.B. Green and I.H. Marshall of the award-winning The Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels (IVP, 1992) as well as the co-editor, with J.D.G. Dunn, of The Historical Jesus in Current Study (Eisenbraun’s, 2005). He regularly contributes chapter length studies to dictionaries, encyclopedias, books and articles for magazines and online webzines. McKnight’s books have been translated into Chinese, Korean, Russian, and Portuguese.

McKnight’s award-winning blog, Jesus Creed, has been rated by Technorati.com as the #1 site for Emerging Church and continues to increase in readership.

Scot McKnight was elected into the Hall of Honor at Cornerstone University in honor of his basketball accomplishments during his college career. He and his wife, Kristen, live in Libertyville, Illinois. They enjoy traveling, long walks, gardening, and cooking. They have two adult children, Laura (married to Mark Barringer) and Lukas (married to Annika Nelson), and one grandchild: Aksel Donovan Nelson McKnight.